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Thursday, 21 February 2013

Wadi Juwa

The last major stop on last weekend's trip to the Jizan area was Wadi Juwa which is alternatively also written as Wadi Jawwah or even Wadi Giwa.The Giwa spelling is used on the local road sign which is important as it would otherwise have been difficult for Lou Regenmorter and I to find. This is even though the turning is right next to Lake Maliki.

African grey hornbill in Wadi Juwa

Wadi Juwa is a recommended birding venue for several reasons. First and foremost it is the place in Saudi Arabia with the highest density of helmeted guineafowl. This is due to protection by the local Emir. Lou managed to see them at Lake Maliki but I didn't so I was keen to go there for the guineafowl alone.

Wadi Juwa

It is a rare north-south wadi in south west Saudi Arabia. Most are west-east. I don't know whether this affects the bird life but it is also apparently the best place to gabar goshawk. Dark chanting goshawk can be found here too but it has a wider distribution.Tawny eagle had been reported here as well.

Well we didn't see any goshawks clearly enough to identify though there was a goshawk- like bird over the al Giwa district at the bottom end of the wadi. It was probably one of the two goshawks but we can't claim it.

We had more success with helmeted guineafowl when a flock dropped in near where we were walking. Without their flight movement we may not have seen any.

helmeted guineafowl

And we were lucky enough to see a tawny eagle.

tawny eagle

The wadi had a high number of both Abyssinian roller and African grey hornbill as well as the ubiquitous Ruepells weaver.This is also a good place to see Arabian warbler. These are all resident. However one migrant caught my eyeas we also saw two masked shrike.

While most go on to east Africa to winter, some stay in South west Saudi Arabia and Yemen for the season.

masked shrike

Together the helmeted guineafowl and tawny eagle made my Saudi list reach 270 species with 5 additions over the weekend as a whole.

A list of birds seen over the Jizan weekend compiled by Lou Regenmorter

There are 107 or 108 species depending on whether yellow-billed kite is counted as a full or sub species.

Laurie, tawny eagle is rare in Saudi Arabia but the place with the most sightings is Wadi Juwa. Its more common apparently in Yemen and the bird I saw had just flown from the direction of the border a couple kms away!